Death in the Age of Steam: A Mystery

by Mel Bradshaw

Toronto in 1856 is industrializing with little time for scruple or sentiment. When Reform politician William Sheridan dies suddenly and his daughter Theresa vanishes, only one man persists in asking questions. A former suitor of Theresa's, bank cashier Isaac Harris has never managed to forget her, despite her marriage to another man. Thrust into the role of amateur detective, he must now struggle with the demands of his job and the shortcomings of the fledgling city police. He also faces the hostility of Theresa's powerful husband, a steamboat and railway magnate. Harris's search takes a grisly turn when, in a valley outside of town, he finds human remains decked in traces of Theresa's finery. If she is dead, who is responsible? And who cares to find out, apart from the man who wooed her too timidly and now would do anything to make up for it? Death in the Age of Steam whirls the reader through a richly realized Victorian landscape, from Niagara Falls to Montreal and north as far as the shores of Lake Superior. It's a world at once near and exotic, a world of noise and smoke and churning pistons, but a world still very familiar to denizens of the 21st century.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Canada, Fiction, Historical Mystery

450 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, but I found it a bit of work to get through some parts. However, it was interesting enough that I did finish it! I found the descriptions of Toronto and area of the mid-nineteenth century to be excellent and a refreshing change from historical mysteries set in London, New York or other well-known locales.

[Shireen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I acquired this awhile ago, maybe during Toronto's Word on the Street when publishers have those last-minute fire sales before the festival ends. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for ages, but the time came that I needed a break from gritty modern-day British crime and to snooze awhile in 19th century Toronto.

Well, okay, I didn't snooze. But this book isn't gritty or realistic either in the sense that everything must be depressing and dour and all despair and cocked up. Instead, it has suspense, romance, history, adventure, and interesting characters. The romance part is central. The protagonist of this tale Isaac Harris is a true white knight. He lost his love to another man, but when she goes missing, he's the one who hares off searching for her. His search takes us travelling north, south, east, and west of Toronto and into all manner of modern-19th-century conveyances. His conflicts give us a hint of politics pre-Confederation style. And the characters cover every strata of society. Some of the characters, in fact, are so well drawn, that I had to find out if they were real, based on real people. Nope. But they continued to seem like real.

Death in the Age of Steam is a good romp, as they say. My only objection to this book is the exposition. I know, I know, exposition is very 19th century. But this was written in the 21st century for 21st-century readers. We get bored. Fast. Exposition is good and needed at times, but is not so hot when dialogue suddenly turns into exposition. It confuses the reader as well as deflating the conflict or emotion between characters that the dialogue had been creating. The exposition-instead-of-dialogue got entirely too much, and I have to admit, I skipped a few bits just so that I could get back to the action. But all in all a good tale with a good ending. Definitely liked the ending!

[Kristine Morris · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun Victorian era mystery/love story that takes place in Toronto, Port Hope, Kingston and Montreal. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of Toronto's downtown during this time period.

[Stephanie Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the hero and heroines antics defied a bit of belief, the book evoked Upper Canada and the age very well. There were a lot of robber barons in those days so the villain was very believable.

[Pam Christison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting was fun - Canada during the industrial revolution. The story was engaging - a banker goes in search of his former love, who has married someone else then disappeared. But not quite fun or engaging enough for the length of the book.

[Anita H · Rating 2 out of 5]

The history was very interesting but the story was not.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting mystery about a women missing during 1856. Quite informative about the history of Toronto at the time, but the story was quite long.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great start. Mystery as well as an detailed account of life in Upper Canada at the end of the 1800s, especially the expansion of the railways and problems with long-distance communication.